A Happy Spuffy Ending
by Mary Anne Gruen
Summary: COMPLETE (with Spoilers) - Buffy and Spike stop the First with the help of Faith, Angel, and the gang.
1. Default Chapter

This is the Anti-Finale finale for Spuffies. WARNING: Spoilers through Ep. 19 are used! If you don't want to be spoiled, turn back! Some other rumored spoilers for the final three episodes of the series are also included, but most of it turns into AU. Also warning . . . One of the featured characters ends up doing a bit of speechifying to tie things up.  
  
Pairings: Buffy and Spike, with a strong indication of an Angel and Faith friendship that may lead to something more.  
  
Rating: Strong PG-13  
  
The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are owned by Mutant Enemy and Fox. I own no rights to them. I'm only trying to give a let's pretend ending to the series that I like better.  
  
A HAPPY SPUFFY ENDING By Mary Anne Gruen  
  
CHAPTER ONE - Walking Into the Fire  
  
By the time Spike and Andrew cycled up to Casa Summers, things were obviously taking a turn for the worst. It was shortly after midnight, but the streets were filled. People were piling belongings into cars and carts and carriages, any kind of purveyance. It didn't matter, as long as it had wheels. Parents were carrying sleeping children. Some people were sporting injuries, their clothes disheveled and torn as if they'd been caught in the midst of some kind war, which of course they had. No one looked at anyone else. They clung to those nearest and dearest to them and pulled away from all others who came near. Sometimes they even walked at a distance from those they loved. All past fears and angers were bubbling up from the inner ground of everyone's psyche, looming over them and destroying whatever it could.  
  
Spike brought his motorcycle to a stop at the curbside for a moment and he and Andrew surveyed the chaos. They exchanged glances. They understood what was going on because they'd already felt the influence of the First. They knew how it could destroy from the inside out, how subtly it used its victims own shortcomings and fears till it devoured them from the inside, leaving them an easy prey for one of its more corporeal minions. They could see the effect the First was having on the populace of Sunnydale. But Spike and Andrew didn't feel it as much themselves. They had both recently faced the attack and fought it down.  
  
"I better park in back," Spike said. He had a feeling if he left it in front of the house the motorcycle might be carried off. Andrew just nodded, his eyes wide with fear.  
  
Spike drove the cycle across Buffy's lawn and into the backyard. There were lights on in the house, but there were no immediate signs of anyone being around. Spike tucked the cycle in next to the porch stairs.  
  
"They're probably off fighting," Spike said, sweeping off the bike. "I'll just stop in for a bit to eat. Then I'll go out and look for 'em."  
  
"Yeah. OK," Andrew said sliding down. "Maybe I should stay here and hold down the fort." He tried to sound brave, but he knew the shakiness in his voice betrayed him. He didn't want to be out in the streets with the screaming and the crying. You could even hear it from the back of Buffy's house, even through the sheltering bushes. Andrew wasn't a hero, not really. The investigation they'd just finished wasn't all that bad. But the sounds of all that suffering and the renewed whisperings of the First ringing in his ears coupled with the possibility of seeing Warren or Jonathan again made him want to hide. Maybe later he'd feel braver. Maybe after he had a rest and something to eat like Spike said. He didn't have any superpowers like the vampire did. It made more sense to Andrew for him to wait till he could at least lose himself in a crowd of potential slayers.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Spike said, only half listening. He trod heavily up the wooden porch steps and pulled open the kitchen door. He hadn't really expected Andrew to go out patrolling with him. He knew it wasn't the little nerd's speed.  
  
The house was very quiet. Spike glanced around the kitchen at the dirty plates and cups piled on every open space. He headed straight for the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of blood bags stashed way in the back. He didn't bother to heat them. Too hungry. He ripped one open and began gulping down the contents while Andrew took off toward the livingroom.  
  
"Hello?" Andrew said tentatively. "Anybody home?"  
  
"Andrew?" a female voice answered from the direction of the diningroom.  
  
"Dawn?"  
  
Dawn walked quickly through the entryway and into the livingroom. She had a big ax in her hands.  
  
"Where is everybody?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Out fighting. The Harbingers are attacking everyone in the open now. They've got Uber-vamps helping them. But I don't know how they got them. Everyone is just going crazy."  
  
"Yeah, so we saw."  
  
Spike heard the voices from the next room. He shoved the second bag of blood into the pocket of his duster before going to join the others in the livingroom.  
  
"I stayed behind to keep an eye on things here," Dawn was explaining. "We're taking turns."  
  
"Where's Buffy?" Spike asked.  
  
"I don't know," Dawn answered offhandedly. "Buffy's gone. Faith has been breaking us up into teams and we've been trying to keep the Harbingers from attacking the townspeople."  
  
"Wait, wait," Spike said, holding up his right hand. "What do you mean Buffy's gone?"  
  
"We all got tired of her pulling rank and pretending like she's General Patton. She wanted to go off and attack that vineyard. Faith said we shouldn't do it until we had more information."  
  
"So . . . what? You had a mutiny?"  
  
"Giles agreed with us."  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. Like that really impressed him. Like Giles's was really someone he trusted right then.  
  
"We all voted to follow Faith from now on and Buffy had the choice to stay and fight with us . . . or leave. She chose to leave." Dawn didn't mention that her dream about Joyce had had a lot to do with it. If Buffy wasn't going to choose her, then Dawn was going to make sure that she chose against Buffy first.  
  
"And you joined in on this mess?" Spike accused.  
  
"It seemed like the right thing to do. Like Giles said, Buffy has to learn."  
  
"Yeah, and so do you lot," Spike said angrily. "Don't you get it? That's exactly what the bleedin' First wanted you to do! She might be walking into a trap. Divide and conquer. That's his way. He uses your own fears and angers till he divides you from each other and picks you off separately. But you're Buffy's sister! I would expect you to stand up for her. When you were standing on the edge of that tower about to fall into a hell dimension, I don't recall her stepping back from you."  
  
Dawn pursed her lips and looked away from his flashing blue eyes.  
  
"What's the point in arguing," Spike said. "This is the First talking, not you. You're all acting like puppet minions, you know that? When did Buffy leave?"  
  
"Sometime yesterday afternoon."  
  
"Fine." Spike turned to Andrew. "I'm going to look for her. She shouldn't be facing down the First on her own. Andrew, you look after Dawn."  
  
"Sure," Andrew said, relief flooding his face. He was afraid that Spike might want him go outside again. "I'll stay here with Dawn."  
  
Spike took the last few gulps of his blood bag and threw it on a pile of dirty dishes. Then he slammed out of the house, stoked up his motorcycle, and roared off into the bedlam of the night.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
At that moment, Buffy was being attacked by two of the Turok-han on a road not far from the vineyard. Large groups of people were fleeing the city around them, but no one stopped to help her. They were too busy concentrating on escaping themselves.  
  
After her friends had voted her out as leader, Buffy had gone to the cemetery, to Spike's old crypt. It had been emptied and padlocked. So Buffy had sat outside and had a good cry, trying to figure out what to do next. Everyone had been so angry at her, so full of resentment. Giles had even brought up Jenny. Buffy thought they had worked through that long ago. It was the First talking through them, she knew that. Spike had said it had used his old memories as a basis for the trigger it had used against him. It was evidently doing the same with her friends. And it had done the same with Chloe too. Buffy knew Giles and Dawn and the others weren't themselves, but it hurt all the same.  
  
After her cry, Buffy headed into town. People were already starting to leave by then. There was a lot of fighting. The Harbingers were starting to break into people's homes to attack them. Buffy charged into the fight. But she was still sure that the vineyard was the place to hit. How could she do it on her own, though? It might even be some kind of a trap.  
  
As darkness fell, the first few Uber-vamps started to appear. The First was pulling them up out of the Hellmouth again. But how could that be? They were coming from the direction of the vineyard, not the school. Were they opening another part of the Hellmouth in the vineyard?  
  
As soon as Buffy killed off one of the monster vamps, another would appear. She tried not to think about the vision the African men had shown her, about an army of Turok-han rising up and assaulting the world. But it came to her anyway. How could she face an army of these things alone? She headed for the vineyard again, hoping to come up with some kind of plan on the way. Instead she found herself looking into the ugly faces of two more Uber-vamps. They seemed to rise up out of the lights and shadows thrown by the fire in a nearby burning building.  
  
"You guys looking for me?" Buffy quipped as she pulled herself into readiness.  
  
The two Uber-vamps gave her a slurpy growl. They had been sent out especially for Buffy. The First knew she was coming and wanted her brought back so she could be subdued. In a weakened and subdued state she would not be able to fight and she would not be able to fetch the scythe.  
  
"Sorry," Buffy said, "I don't speak monster." And she flew into the fight. First she hit one, then the other. But she couldn't kill either one of them. They took too much strength to subdue, too much concentration. She realized if they called in a third one, she would really be in trouble.  
  
There were no snappy quips now, only the sounds of punching and the occasional groans of pain from Buffy. She didn't feel as if she were getting anywhere. She wanted a chance to breath, but there wasn't any. She was starting to gasp in-between blows. Finally one Turok-han managed to pin her to the ground. That was careless, she reprimanded herself. She kicked out with her powerful legs, but the other vamp seemed unbothered by it. He began to punch her face, again and again, like a crazed fighter. Her mind flashed back to what she'd done to Spike in the alley the year before. Was this her punishment? She hesitated, allowing the vamp above her to hit harder.  
  
Suddenly the Turok-han over her was gone. She was vaguely aware of the sounds of a brawl nearby, but her first instincts were to breath and rest for a moment. The vamp that had been holding her down started pulling her away toward the vineyard, to deliver her to its master, Buffy assumed. She let it drag her for a bit so she could reorganize herself. Then she flew to her feet and pushed the Uber-vamp to the ground. With only one of them to concentrate on, she was able to kill it. When she turned around panting, she saw that she was not alone. Spike was there, standing over the dusty remains of the other Uber-vamp. It had been he who had pulled it away from her. Never had she seen a more welcome sight than that of the disheveled blond in his black leather duster.  
  
"Spike!" Buffy called. And without thinking, she ran to him and threw her arms around him, closing her eyes in relief as she felt his arms wrap around her. They pulled back after a moment and to check each other for injuries. "How did you find me?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Dawn. She said you'd gone this way. I can usually sense you if I put my mind to it. Didn't expect to see you taking on two of them at once, though."  
  
"Well I didn't have much choice. I think the First is opening another entrance to the Hellmouth. Or maybe he's enlarging it. I don't know how to stop it. As for the rest of our group . . ."  
  
"I heard. Dawn gave me the lowdown. The wankers. Playing right into the First's hands. I mean . . . if it had hands. We found something interesting. The place Giles sent us to had this secret room and the monk who was watching the place said it was for 'her.' I'm thinking since you're the official guardian of the Hellmouth, you're probably the 'her' the monk was talking about. It's worth a look, anyway. I don't know if we can get there before daylight. But we can give it a try."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Buffy agreed. "Not much I can do here but pick off the occasional Uber-vamp and watch the city burn."  
  
As they headed off to the motorcycle, Buffy's hand clutched the back of Spike's duster, not wanting him to get too far out of reach.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Faith was leading the fight near the center of town with several of the potentials. She'd lost four of them already. Kennedy and Willow were doing the best they could, but the Turok-han were hard to kill.  
  
When there was a break in the battle, Faith said, "Let's fall back to the High School. See how the guys are doing. Maybe that's where all these super-vamps are coming from."  
  
Willow and Kennedy nodded their agreement. The remaining potentials, absentmindedly rubbed the dirt across their faces as they tried to wipe away the sweat. They couldn't bear to look at Faith. Under her command even more of them were dieing. The trip to the Bronze had made them think Faith would be fun, not so speechifying as Buffy. But the gleam of coolness had rubbed away. The dark haired slayer was no longer their great rescue-fantasy.  
  
The guys had broken off to check the situation at the High School. What they lacked in slayer strength, they made up for in Giles's and Wood's experience. Xander had gone mainly as the guy in charge of weaponry. But Anya and several of the potentials were with them as well.  
  
When Faith's team arrived at the school they found Wood using his knives on a couple of the Harbingers. Giles was taking on a Turok-han with the help of a couple of the potentials. Faith joined the fight and managed to subdue the vamp in a couple of rounds. They were so caught up in the battle that it took them a while to realize that the Harbingers had set fire to the High School. Great flames were reaching past the roof and into the sky.  
  
"Well, there goes another one," Xander said with a deep sigh. "We shouldn't build anything else on that spot. Just leave it as an open field."  
  
"Buffy was right," Faith said in a half-whisper to Giles. "They're not interested in the school anymore. Their concentrating their efforts on the vineyard. I think that's where all these super-vamps are coming from."  
  
"There's nothing more we can do tonight," Giles said. A wave of hopelessness fell over him as the heat from the fire reached his face. "It will be light in a couple of hours. The Turok-han will probably stay in retreat during the day. We'll have time to rest."  
  
"Let's do that," Faith said, trying to sound like a leader.  
  
Anya helped Xander pick up the weapons and they all headed back to Buffy's house. When they got in, Andrew told them all about the mission and explained that Spike had gone to look for Buffy.  
  
"It appears Buffy may have been right about the vineyard," Giles said, his face looking beaten emotionally as well as physically. "They burned the school down, so I think it's safe to say they don't have a use for it anymore."  
  
Dawn looked at the almost catatonic faces of the potentials. There were obviously less of them than when they went out. "How many did we lose?" she asked.  
  
"Four," Giles said.  
  
Wood nodded silently at his side. His voice had left him, maybe forever. In all his worst nightmares, he'd never imagined such devastation. It looked like the end of the world. It probably was.  
  
Dawn nodded, but didn't ask who had died. She didn't want to think about it. It might make it real. If she didn't put names to the bodies, she could just pretend it was a dream.  
  
"I think we should all settle down for the night like Giles said," Faith said. "Get ready for whatever's waiting for us tomorrow night."  
  
No one answered her. They all just walked away and found their sleeping corners. Willow and Kennedy headed toward their room, hands touching in silent intimacy as they climbed the stairs. Giles and the principal without a school headed for the basement. It was now the "boy's" dorm.  
  
Xander hesitated for a moment before heading down after them. He reached out for Anya's hand as he passed her, lacing his fingers through hers and pulling her close. They stood silently clinging to one another for several moments, each instinctively reaching out to the one they loved and trusted most. Xander reached down and swept some unruly hair from Anya's face. Then he kissed her forehead. They were so lost in each other they didn't realize that Faith was watching them from the doorway.  
  
"I don't really feel like heading downstairs," Xander said.  
  
"We could just curl up on the floor here in the kitchen and cuddle," Anya said.  
  
Xander nodded. "I'll get a blanket."  
  
As Xander started off downstairs, Faith headed upstairs to Buffy's room. The gang had insisted she take it. They thought it was only right. But Faith hadn't slept comfortably in Buffy's bed. Not at all.  
  
Faith didn't want this leader gig. It had been fun playing the bad girl at the Bronze. But having people live or die because of your decisions wasn't so much fun. In her mind's eye Faith saw the faces of the girls who had died that night. Or maybe she was actually seeing them standing in the room with her, looking at her accusingly. Faith wasn't sure any more. All she knew was that for the first time in a very long time, she was afraid. And she felt alone . . . very alone.  
  
Faith pulled the cell phone that Angel had given from the night table next to Buffy's bed. He'd given it to her in case of trouble. Well, this certainly fit the bill. She dialed his number quickly, the electronic sounds of the phone almost echoing in the overly quiet room.  
  
In Los Angeles, Angel was just settling in after a hard night. He wasn't going to answer his cell at first. Just let the voice mail kick in. But for some reason he glanced down at the number of the caller. It was Faith. He told her to call in case of an emergency. "Faith?" he answered, concern in his voice. "What is it?"  
  
"I need help," she said. "I'm really alone here and . . . I need you."  
  
"Faith?" It sounded like her voice, but in a way it didn't. He'd never heard her sound afraid before. "What's wrong? What's happened?"  
  
"I can't go into it now. Just come. I need you," she repeated. "I don't want to lead."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just come, as soon as you can." And she hung up.  
  
Angel kept the line open for a couple of moments, dumbly wondering over the short conversation. He hadn't wanted to interfere in Buffy's territory. But something was very wrong. He'd never heard Faith sound like that. There was no question but that he would do what she asked. She had been there for him during the worst. He would be there for her.  
  
It was almost daylight. He'd need someone to drive him to Sunnydale. Not one of his crew, there was too much going on in Los Angeles. They would be needed there. But he had a friend with a van who owed him a favor. It was time to cash in. If he got moving now, he might be there by nightfall.  
  
Angel put his cell away and tiredly reached for his jacket. He'd really hoped to get some rest today. But it was not in the cards.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Seeing the sky lightening, Spike brought the motorcycle to a momentary stop by a curb so he could talk to Buffy. In this area as well people were fleeing. The word had gotten out that something bad was coming.  
  
"The sun will be up soon," Spike said, leaning back. "The mission is still a ways off. Need to stop somewhere for the day."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Andrew and I saw this big old motel not far from here. You got any money?"  
  
"A little?" Buffy said, patting her right pocket.  
  
"Well, the way people are running, we may be able to get something cheap," Spike said, gesturing toward a group of people pushing two shopping carts full of household goods.  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised," Buffy answered.  
  
As it turned the hotel was completely deserted. Buffy went in first to see what was what, while Spike waited at the curb with the motorcycle.  
  
"I think the rooms are gonna be really cheap. Like maybe free," Buffy quipped when she returned to Spike. "No one seems to be there. It looks as if everyone just dropped and ran."  
  
Spike looked up at the sky. The sun hadn't stepped over the horizon quite yet, but it was about to. "Then no one will mind if I drive the motorcycle inside. I'll feel better if it's nice and close."  
  
"Sure, why not."  
  
Buffy opened one of the glass doors for him and Spike rolled the cycle inside. He left it near the reception desk and shook out his legs. "I've spent most of the last two days on that thing," he complained.  
  
"Let's go up a couple of flights," Buffy said, starting for the ornate stairway with its golden handrail. "If we're upstairs we can hear if anyone comes in and be pre-warned before they get to our floor.  
  
"Nice digs," Spike said, looking around. "Very posh."  
  
The pair climbed the stairs without speaking. The hotel was completely lit as usual and in perfect order, except for the occasional item dropped in haste as the hotel staff and its guests had fled.  
  
Buffy was in the lead. When she got to the middle of the third floor she stopped in front of room #324. "This is probably as good a place to stop as any," she said. First she knocked. After all, Joyce had brought her up to knock before entering a room. When there was no answer, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess no one's home." She tried the door, but it was locked. So she kicked it and the lock gave way with ease.  
  
"Old door, old locks," Spike said.  
  
Buffy patted her hand along the wall and found a light switch that set a soft lamp to glowing. It was a medium sized room with a Queen sized bed already made up. No TV. This was an old hotel that was trying to maintain the ambiance of an earlier time. But it was still renovated enough to have its own bathroom and a mini-bar.  
  
"This looks good," Buffy said.  
  
"Right," Spike said, nodding. "I'll see if the room next door is clear."  
  
"No," Buffy said, "I don't think we should separate. I mean, we're both adults. And it makes more sense if we stay together."  
  
Spike fingered the door. "All right," he said. "Just as long as you don't hog the sheets." He shut the door as Buffy went to investigate the mini- bar.  
  
"They've got some cute little sodas," she said rummaging around.  
  
"Oh, good. A place to keep my breakfast." Spike patted his coat and found the bag of blood that he'd taken from the house.  
  
"Want a soda?" Buffy asked, twisting open a diet Sprite.  
  
"No thanks. I'm good." Spike tucked his bag into the fridge as Buffy went to investigate the bathroom. He slipped out of this duster and left it hanging over a chair. He was thinking that he should offer to sleep on the floor, but for the moment the bed looked awfully good to his tired body. He sat down on it to test the mattress. Not bad, he thought. Much better than the cot he'd been sleeping on in Buffy's basement. What was the harm in resting on it for a bit before Buffy turned in? After all, she was always coming down and sitting on his bed when she wanted to talk to him. He stretched out on the farther side, leaning up on the headboard. "So," he called out. "Tell me what happened."  
  
"What happened?" Buffy called from the bathroom. There was a flush and she came out.  
  
"The mutiny," Spike said.  
  
"Oh, that." Buffy sighed and sat down on the other side of the bed. "It wasn't pretty. A lot of old angers and unresolved feelings just boiled up. I wanted to stage an attack on the vineyard and they didn't. Faith said she wanted to wait till they had more information. They put it to vote and decided to follow Faith instead of me. Willow said I needed a rest." She sat back further onto the bed and stretched out next to him. She felt relaxed. It was like the old days when they'd hung out together and talked. Before things started to get ugly and confusing. "Dawn is the one who actually asked me to leave."  
  
"She didn't mean it. It's the First, whispering nasties in her ear."  
  
"I know. But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. I knew something was going to happen as soon as Giles told me he'd sent you away. I called Giles on it too. Accused him of setting me up by sending away the only person I knew I could trust."  
  
Spike looked at Buffy in surprise. "You said that?" Hadn't she told him a year ago that she couldn't trust him? And hadn't he done something just after that that only proved it. How far they had come in a year.  
  
"I was obviously right. By the end of the day I'd been voted down as leader and thrown out of my own house. Sending you away seemed like the first step in their plan to get rid of me."  
  
"Well, if it's any consolation to you, I think your old Watcher really did have a hunch about this mission and that he was right about it too. It wasn't all just machinations."  
  
"Maybe not. But it felt like it at the time. I knew you'd come looking for me though."  
  
"Don't I always?"  
  
Buffy smiled and reached comfortably for his hand, warming his fingers with her own. "You're always there when I need you. Even when I don't want you to be. Even when I yell at you . . . Or don't treat you very well."  
  
"Yeah, well, I do my share of yelling too. And I haven't always been good to you either."  
  
"No matter what, though, you're always there watching my back. I remember you saying once that you're all I've got. This time it seems to be true."  
  
Her fingers wound tighter around his hand and he sandwiched hers in-between both of his.  
  
"They'll work this out, your Scoobie friends," Spike said. "Soon as they realize the First has been working its mojo on them, they'll be backing you up like always. I'm just more familiar with how it works is all."  
  
They were very close now, her head almost resting on his shoulder.  
  
"It's not just that. Giles said we've grown to depend on each other."  
  
Hazel eyes looked into blue ones. It felt natural to Buffy for her to lean in and touch her lips to his. It was a tentative kiss, as if they were kissing for the first time. And in a way, they were. They pulled back for a moment and then they kissed again, longer this time. Buffy ran her free hand up to his face, feeling his strong cheek bones. Then the kiss deepened and they started to melt into each other.  
  
Spike could feel Buffy's pulse quicken and he shivered as her hand wandered from his face to his neck, down his shoulder and back, then drifting down toward his hips and the outside of his thigh. This felt different than all the other times. It wasn't harsh or insistent. Nobody was getting thrown against a wall. There were no demands. It felt like they were completing themselves in each other, melding into their other half. Buffy had said she trusted him. That was something she'd never said before. And she said that she trusted him more than anyone else.  
  
Still, there had been such pain before. Spike found himself pulling away from her, catching her wandering hand before it could move further. She looked at him questioningly. "I'm not interested in any more cold comfort," he said, searching her eyes.  
  
"I'm not either," she said simply.  
  
Spike saw that she was telling the truth. He always knew when she was lying. There was so much to say, so much to discuss about where things might be going. But for now, this was enough. He had her trust and this wasn't cold comfort. There would be time to discuss the rest after the apocalypse. Spike closed his eyes and kissed her again, sinking into the warmth of her.  
  
Hands touched, lips tasted, and clothes began to fall away. Bare skin moved against bare skin, rubbing and savoring. The passion was still there, but it had changed. It gave and took pleasure this time. There was no rushing, just gentility and warmth, and a feeling of fullness. They were more than friends, more than lovers. They were partners. Two halves of a whole that couldn't be complete without the other.  
  
By the time the sun stood at its highest point in the sky, they had both fallen into a satisfied sleep, completely woven around each other. 


	2. Chapter 2 The Scythe

CHAPTER TWO - The Scythe  
  
The light of the day was starting to fade when Buffy woke up. She reached for Spike and found his side of the bed empty. "Spike?" she said in a small voice. She started having flashbacks to the first time she and Angel had made love, how she'd woken up in the bed alone. "Spike!" she said louder, panic sounding in her voice. She sat up in bed and peered into the darkening shadows of the room.  
  
"Right here, Luv," he called, unbending himself from the mini-bar. He had on his black jeans and nothing else. "I was just checking what we had for breakfast. I have a bag here. But there isn't much for you except for some orange juice, peanuts, some stale looking crackers and over processed cheese. Oh, and those little fish shaped snacks in different colors." He came to the bed, holding out the items he'd listed. When he saw the alarmed expression on Buffy's face he stopped. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Just . . . just had a bad dream."  
  
"Not surprising, with the apocalypse coming and all." He sat down next to her on the bed and held out the food.  
  
Buffy reached up and kissed him desperately, as if to verify he was real.  
  
"Now I know there's something wrong," he said. "Give out."  
  
"I was just remembering Angel going bad the morning after we slept together."  
  
"Ah," he said, understanding, "the pesky happiness clause. Well, that can't happen to me. My soul is no deposit, no return."  
  
Buffy smiled. "I think I'll take the juice, the peanuts and the fish crackers."  
  
"Excellent choice." Spike handed them to her and put the rest of the items back in the mini-bar. Then he ripped open his bag of blood. "It's quiet out there," Spike said, pulling back the curtains on the window. The street was totally empty. He kept watch while Buffy dressed. When she was finished she came up behind him.  
  
"There's no one at all down there," he said.  
  
She wrapped her arms around him and he covered her arms with his own. They stood that way for several moments, Spike instinctively breathing in time with Buffy. It felt as if they were the only ones left in the world.  
  
"Even the demons were fleeing Sunnydale," Buffy said.  
  
"The ultimate evil scares even them."  
  
"We'd better be getting on to that mission," Buffy said. They had an apocalypse to stop.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Angel's friend left him in front of Buffy's house as the sunlight faded. As soon as Angel hit the front porch, his ride put on the brakes and went screeching away from Sunnydale. The town was pretty well abandoned by that time and the word was out that something really ugly was coming.  
  
Angel knocked on the door and wondered what kind of reception he would get. How would the rest of Buffy's friends act? Her sister? How much had Faith and Willow told them about what he'd been up to over the last year? There were some things that would really need explanation, like Connor.  
  
The door was opened cautiously by a young woman. She had dark shoulder length hair and scowled at him suspiciously. But the most noticeable thing about her was the gleaming sword held aloft and at the ready in her hand. "What do you want?" she asked gruffly.  
  
"I, uh . . . Is Faith there?" Angel asked.  
  
"You a friend of hers?"  
  
"Yes. She asked me to come."  
  
"Wait here," the young woman ordered. And she slammed the door in his face. From the inside Angel heard her call, "Faith! Faith, there's someone here to see you!"  
  
A couple of moments passed and the door was flung open by Faith. "Angel!" she cried, her dark eyes welcoming him. "I knew you'd come."  
  
"You said you needed me."  
  
"I do." Her lips trembled just a bit, but she pushed the emotion back into place. "Come on in. Everybody's just getting up." She gestured into the livingroom where bed rolls were being tucked into corners by several young women in the teens. "These are the potential slayers," Faith explained. The one who let you in was Kennedy."  
  
"Oh, yes. Willow mentioned her."  
  
"Yeah, they're kinda tight."  
  
Speaking of Willow . . . The first thing Kennedy had done after answering the door was to run upstairs and fetch her. The red headed witch came to a stop on the stairs as soon as she recognized who it was. "Angel!" she called out with uncertainty. "What a surprise. We didn't expect to see you. I figured you were ironing things out in Los Angeles."  
  
"I was. But Faith called me. She said there was trouble."  
  
"A lot of trouble," Willow said. "Probably the end of the world." It's even worse than anything I did last year, she thought to herself. And it looked like things had barely begun.  
  
From the kitchen, Dawn, Xander, and Anya had heard the name Angel and had come barreling into the hallway. They stopped just below Willow on the stair. Dawn was out in front, with Xander just behind and Anya holding onto him lightly.  
  
"So, you got your soul back in place," Xander said. "Anya, why don't you go downstairs and tell Giles who's come to visit?"  
  
Anya nodded and slipped away.  
  
"Tricky the way some of those souls can slip off sometimes," Xander said. He was remembering the first time Angel had become Angelus. "I remember how once you tried to end the world. Now it seems one of your friends is trying to do it for you."  
  
"The First is not my friend," Angel said patiently. "He's not anybody's friend. All he wants is to destroy." Angel could tell by the patch over Xander's eye and the anger in his voice that the First had been hard at work here. With the exception of Faith, all the expressions around him were vaguely hostile. The potentials in the livingroom were huddled together at the doorway. They hadn't known who Angel was when he came in, but they'd heard enough from Willow and Faith to know he was a vampire. "I've been attacked by the First myself," Angel said. "I know how he works on your own fears and angers, using them against you till he gets you to do what he wants."  
  
Giles appeared in the midst of the potentials, with the former principal following behind him. For Giles, the nightmare was only getting worse. He hadn't told anyone, but the First in the form of Jenny had been appearing to him regularly. And no here was Jenny killer standing right in front of him. Giles thought he had accepted it all, along with the differences between Angel and the murderer Angelus. But the emotions crashing through him told him he had not. Memories of Jenny and the way her body had been left so cruelly in his bed flooded back. That's why he'd been so adamant about getting rid of Spike. He couldn't bear the thought that it might happen again. Even if Spike's soul was supposedly more secure than Angel's. You never knew. You couldn't trust. "Angel," Giles said.  
  
"Giles," Angel returned. He read the anger in the Watcher's eyes and knew what it was about. "I was just saying how the First works on your own fears and angers. The last time I fought against it, it filled me with such despair that I almost committed suicide."  
  
"Angel is here because I asked him to come," Faith said, throwing her chin up and balling her hands into fists. The vulnerability and fear she'd felt earlier were gone now. She felt stronger with Angel standing at her side, watching her back. "I'm the leader now and I say he stays."  
  
Angel's eyes snapped to Faith. "What happened to Buffy?"  
  
"She's gone," Faith said. "A day or so ago. We had a difference of opinion on what action to take."  
  
"And we asked her to leave," Kennedy finished.  
  
"Well, asked is kind of a strong word . . ." Willow said, hedging.  
  
"She wanted to pull a direct attack on what she thought was the First's headquarters," Faith said. "And I wanted more information. Everyone agreed with me."  
  
"So she left?" Angel said. "To do what? Tackle this thing by herself?"  
  
"She's not alone," Faith put in quickly. "Spike's with her."  
  
Angel gasped in surprise, his face clearly showing his shock. He'd heard vague things about Spike being chipped and his helping them for cash sometimes. But neither Buffy nor Willow had told him the full story of what had been happening with Spike over the last few years. "That's supposed to make me feel better. Spike's with her. Giles, how could you allow that?"  
  
Indeed, thought the principal. And how could they allow Angel around them either. From what he'd heard, Angel was even more dangerous than Spike. And it was obvious from the way this Faith stood so close to him that she considered him a friend and perhaps more. What was it with these slayers and vampires? Didn't they understand vampires were supposed to be the enemy? He was utterly disgusted with all of them. Why hadn't their Watchers held them in line?  
  
"Well," Willow offered weakly, "a lot of things have happened since you've been around."  
  
"Spike has a soul," Dawn said coldly. She was remembering all the times that Buffy had cried over Angel. Maybe they were made up memories put there by the monks. But she remembered them all the same. Buff locking herself in her room for days on end after Angel left for "Buffy's own good." Yeah, his leaving did her lots of good, Dawn thought. Made it harder for her to trust men. Gave her a load of abandonment issues. And he played it like he was being all noble.  
  
"What?" Angel said. He looked at Willow. "You cursed him with a soul?"  
  
"No," Willow said, shaking her head.  
  
"He got it by himself," Dawn said. "Somewhere in Africa I think. He got it for Buffy." She paused for a moment to let it all sink in. "Because he loves her."  
  
Angel was stunned. He felt as if the tall thin teenager had struck him with fists of iron. The unspoken comment was that he hadn't loved Buffy enough.  
  
Angel had heard something about an ancient demon in Africa who could do such things . . . if you survived the tests he gave. The tests were mostly for the demon's own enjoyment Angel had always supposed. It had sounded like a foolishly dangerous thing to do, just to fix his soul onto himself more tightly. What if he had died in the midst of the tests? What if he passed the tests and the demon went back on his word? He had dismissed the idea almost before it had occurred to him. He had a mission to perform. So did Buffy. And she needed him to fight the good fight. Wasn't there a prophecy that the slayer would forestall the apocalypse with the help of a souled vampire? He'd always assumed he'd be needed alive to help Buffy. But now, considering how things had turned out, who she was with at the moment, he couldn't even be sure that he was the vampire the prophecy had talked about.  
  
Why hadn't he at least tried to verify the stories about the African demon, to give them the possibility of sharing some happiness? He could have at least checked. Instead he had left Sunnydale, supposedly so that Buffy could have a normal human life. Normal? The most normal thing that had happened to her in the last three years is that her mother had died of natural causes. Not much of a consolation prize. It seemed that as long as she was a slayer, Buffy life would never be normal and at times like this with the end of the world about to take place, wasn't she better off with an extra pair of strong hands backing her up? And wouldn't she have been a better mother for his child than Darla? Dawn had struck him hard and fast . . . and fairly. His private life was a mess. The one person who had stood by him with the most reliability of late was Faith. And he would be damned if he let her down.  
  
"All right," Angel said with a sigh. "So where did Buffy and Spike go?"  
  
"There are really only two choices," Giles said. "Either they went to the vineyard where she wanted to go in the first place. Or they went to the mission where I sent Spike and Andrew. I doubt they'd attack the vineyard with just the two of them. So, I'm going to assume they went to the mission. From what Andrew says, it may have something that will help us. Whichever it is, they're undoubtedly together."  
  
"Yeah," Faith agreed. "They're pretty tight."  
  
"So, what have the rest of you been up against here?" Angel asked.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The mission was abandoned when Buffy and Spike got there. The monk who had been there the last time was gone. Spike took Buffy through the same dark tunnels to the secret room and showed her the stone panel that he and Andrew had read. The one that said there was something special here that only "she" could wield.  
  
"So what is this thing?" Buffy asked out loud.  
  
"Dunno," Spike said. "I was hoping you could figure it out. Or that maybe your being here would trigger something."  
  
Buffy ran her hand over the writing in the stone, letting her fingers fall into the grooves. As she did, it began to glow.  
  
"Ah," a female voice said, "You're here." And a funnel of light began to glow at Buffy's side.  
  
Since the markings in Caleb's ring had brought them there, Buffy was taking no chances. She pulled her hand away from the stone panel and stood in readiness to do battle. Spike took his place beside.  
  
The funnel of light got brighter and a figure appeared in the center of it. It was a tall woman, dressed in clothes from the 1930's. Buffy's first thought was that she looked like a Watcher, dressed in khaki pants and sensible buttoned down shirt and loafers. She was tall and had a serious face and little make-up. Her hair was dark and loosely pinned behind her head. In her hand was a golden scythe that glinted and gleamed in the light that seemed to emanate from all around her.  
  
"Greetings, slayer," the woman said. "I've been waiting for you."  
  
Buffy glanced up at the woman's face, but kept a good eye on the scythe as well. "Who are you?" she asked.  
  
"My name is unimportant. I was a slayer like yourself once. An earlier guardian of the Hellmouth."  
  
"A slayer?"  
  
"Yes. I died in defense of this spot. But my spirit lingered on to give you this." She held out the golden scythe to Buffy.  
  
"What is it?" Buffy asked, still holding her defensive position.  
  
"The ring that your enemy wears was created with dark magic. Its function is to open the Hellmouth in its entirety and wreak unimaginable pain and destruction upon the earth. It gives its wearer extraordinary strength because it focuses the powers of darkness from the other side of the Hellmouth."  
  
"Is this ring something new?"  
  
"No. It is very old. But it could not be used in total as long as the powers of good and evil were in balance. When you returned from the dead, the inexperience of the witch who cast the spell made the barrier between certain dimensions unstable. It gave the First an opportunity to try and gain more power. As soon as you clawed your way out of your grave, the First began twisting the emotions and lives of you and your friends into confusion, so that you could not fight properly. Then it sent its waves of chaos steadily outward to create confusion in the rest of Sunnydale. And eventually to the world beyond. The First has now called its ringbearer to this spot because the time is finally right to throw open the Hellmouth. Indeed, it is already opening. That is where his army of super-demons is coming from. By the time the next night arrives the real battle will begin. The First has been trying to break you down further permanently dividing you from those closest to you. He knows an army of one is of limited use. Once you were alone, he thought he could gain control over you so that you would not come here."  
  
"Why didn't he simply kill me?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Because he thinks your death will return things to what they were. But he is wrong. It is the barriers themselves that are unstable. Your living or not living has nothing to do with it. This will restore order." The woman held out the scythe to Buffy again.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"When those of the slayer line first learned of the ring, we began searching for a way to defeat its power. For hundreds of years we worked, keeping our actions so secret that even the Council of Watchers did not know about it. We finally succeeded in my time. The previous ringbearer managed to kill me. But not before the scythe was hidden. I remained behind in this form to protect it and wait for you."  
  
"There were these ancient African guys that I saw recently. They offered to invest me with some kind of additional demon power of some kind. Will this do the same thing for me?" Buffy asked. "Or is it some kind of Excalibur?"  
  
The woman smiled. "I take you have visited with the first Watchers. Theirs was a well-intentioned gift, but you already have the power of that additional demon fighting on your side, even though the First tried to separate him from you." She nodded toward Spike with her chin. "As long as you have him, you don't need their gift. What you need is this." For the third time the woman offered Buffy the scythe. This time she took it.  
  
Buffy reached her hand into the light that the woman stood in and wrapped her hands around the golden handle of the scythe. It felt warm to the touch, as if it were alive. As she pulled it into the darker recesses of the secret room, she realized that it had a golden light of its own. She hefted it, testing its weight. Then she swung it over head testing it as a weapon. The blade at the end flashed white as it cut through the air. Spike instinctively stepped back against the wall to get out of the way. Buffy's attention was completely enveloped in the scythe. It felt right. She felt stronger just holding it.  
  
"No one but a slayer can wield it," the woman in the light said.  
  
"What does it do?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It will kill any demon that comes out of the Hellmouth with ease. You simply harvest their heads. But your main job is to reclaim the ring from the ringbearer. You must slice off the hand that wears it. Once you have both the ring and the scythe, you will be able to close the Hellmouth forever. You will still have to destroy any demons left on this side. But those on the other will never again be able to cross through. Not as long as both the ring and the scythe are held by the slayer line."  
  
"What happens if someone else gets a hold of the scythe?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
"Throw it to your friend," the woman instructed.  
  
Buffy tightened her grip around the scythe once more and threw it over to Spike. He caught it handily, but didn't have it long. It evaporated at his touch and a moment later appeared at Buffy's feet."  
  
"We made sure that it could never be used by anyone other than a slayer. It cannot be captured and used against you. You can pass it in battle to the other slayer who is working with you. But if anyone else touches it, it will fade away."  
  
"What if a potential slayer tries to use it?"  
  
"It won't work for them either. It recognizes only the touch of those who have already been called, of the ones who bears the burden. If the slayer wielding it dies in battle, it will simply return here to my care till the next slayer comes to claim it." The woman's face got softer. "We are all part of one another, you know. Each slayer who has passed on, to some extent exists in the one who serves. You will not be alone in this battle."  
  
"The first slayer told me all slayers must walk alone."  
  
"That's because that was her experience. She was the original slayer. She had to walk alone. Though she lives in us, I believe she is a little jealous of all those who came after. Forgive her and move on. The First would like very much for every slayer to continue that lonely walk, for a single soldier is easier to pick off than a battalion. When a slayer feels alone they become easier to destroy. Surely you saw that with Chloe. And guessed it in Nikki."  
  
"Is there any way of killing the First?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No. He is necessary to the balance of things. It is his job to test the evil that lives in all hearts, minds, and souls. It is only through facing the evil and darkness within that true strength can be attained. Without the First, this would not be possible. Time is growing short. You must return to your work. I will be there if you need me." And the funnel of light and the woman contained within it changed to mist and disappeared.  
  
Buffy stood in silence for a moment, running her hands over the glowing golden scythe.  
  
"You know" Spike said, "Joan of Arc was supposed to have had a special sword. Given to her by one of her voices. St. Catherine I think it was."  
  
"If we drive really fast, do you think we could get back to my house before daylight?"  
  
Spike sighed. He'd been kind of hoping for another night alone at the abandoned hotel. There was no way of knowing if the closeness they'd experienced during the day would continue or be forgotten in the heat of the coming battle. But Buffy was the slayer and she had to follow her destiny. "Maybe. At least there probably won't be any other traffic on the road."  
  
"Let's go," Buffy said, leading the way out.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The rest of the Scoobies spent the night up to their necks in Uber-vamps and blood. Two more potentials died. And they barely slowed the army of advancing monsters.  
  
"We can't fight them as we are," Angel said, when they returned to Buffy's with their decreased and exhausted numbers. "We need some kind of edge."  
  
"Perhaps Buffy will find something," Faith said. She was at Angel's side, as she had been all evening. They'd fought side by side earlier in the night, the advance team in the onslaught against the First. Since Faith had been inside Angel's mind she understood his way of thinking, his approach, his strategy. It was as if they'd been a team for years, they were so much in synchronization.  
  
"Unfortunately," Giles said, "We don't know if Buffy is coming back. We haven't heard anything from her or Spike in quite some time."  
  
"Willow," Angel said," As the resident witch here, is there anything you can propose?"  
  
"I've been thinking about it, actually," Willow said. Excitement shown in her eyes despite her fatigue. "I've been wondering if I could try closing the Hellmouth by magic."  
  
"Can you do that by yourself?" Xander asked.  
  
"It would be better if I had help," Willow admitted.  
  
"I'll do it," Anya offered. She was standing next to Xander feeling as tired as everyone else. But at least this was something she could do better than fighting.  
  
Kennedy leaned up against Willow to get her attention. "But will you need to draw extra power . . . like you did with Dawn and I when you tried to bring Buffy back from the past?"  
  
"I've been thinking about that too," Willow nodded excitedly. "And I can try drawing it from the Turok-han."  
  
Giles's eyebrows fluttered up and down. "I don't know if it will work. But at least it might serve as a distraction to allow us to fight more efficiently."  
  
"Then let's do it," Faith said. "Angel and I will lead in tomorrow night. Willow and Anya will stay at our center, protected on all sides by the rest of you. Then you'll have the cover you need to begin the spell."  
  
"And hope for the best," Xander said. "Even if we fail, we'll go down fighting." As much as he had complained to Buffy the last time he saw her about the cost of their fight. He realized now that it was the only thing to do. It was better than waiting to die or running off and postponing the inevitable.  
  
The group around Xander agreed silently. They were too tired to talk anymore.  
  
"Nothing left to do then except to get some sleep," Faith said.  
  
The group dispersed to their various corners. A few of them stopped in the kitchen to eat. Faith and Angel were the only ones still standing in the front hallway, where they had begun the night's adventures.  
  
"Well," Angel said to Faith in a low voice, "I guess I'd better be getting downstairs. I'm not really looking forward to bunking in with Giles and that principal guy. But Anya made it clear that she and Xander have the kitchen. And I think the potentials feel a little uncomfortable around me."  
  
"You're welcome to share my room," Faith offered.  
  
Angel hesitated. "I don't think that's a good idea."  
  
"Oh, it's not a come-on or anything. You can sack out on the floor. I promise not to take any liberties."  
  
"No. I think not. You're the leader now. You should have your own space."  
  
"I don't really want to be the leader, you know," Faith said, leaning hard into the door. "I don't like being responsible for whether or not everyone lives or dies."  
  
Angel turned into her, his arm blocking off their conversation from the potentials wandering in the livingroom. "I know. But that's what a slayer does. Sometimes you make the right call, sometimes you don't. But the point is to keep on trying so that a whole lot more people don't die."  
  
Faith looked away from Angel toward the two potentials who were settling down in the diningroom. Her liquid brown were eyes sharply worried. "We may not be able to stop the dieing," she said. "Only postpone it. I think this thing is much bigger than we are."  
  
"We'll do what we can. And it's possible Willow will succeed in closing the Hellmouth."  
  
"You know . . . I once wanted to be Buffy." Faith shook her head slowly. "I don't anymore."  
  
"So, be Faith instead. We need your daring bravado here."  
  
Faith smiled up at Angel. "Yeah, well, I'm glad you're here. I wouldn't be able to do this without you."  
  
"Sure you would."  
  
"No. This is the kind of time when you need to know you have someone you trust watching your back. And even if these people voted me in as leader over Buffy, they didn't do it because of me. They did it because they were angry at Buffy. I need someone that I really know is in my corner."  
  
"Well, happy to be of service. Now you better get some sleep. The sun will be up soon. You're going to need your strength."  
  
"Yeah." Faith ran her hand intimately across Angel's chest. "See you later." And she made her way off to Buffy's room as Angel headed down to the basement.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The last shadows of night were starting to fade when Buffy and Spike rode up to the Summers' house. Spike drove up to the curb and came to a stop.  
  
"Front entrance or back?" he asked.  
  
"Definitely front," Buffy said.  
  
Buffy led the way to the front door, never hesitating. She had determined that she would do what was necessary and not bother to think about anything else. She opened the door wide and entered, leaving Spike to close it behind her.  
  
By that time the house was settling down. There were potentials sleeping in the livingroom and diningroom. They looked up as Buffy and Spike came in.  
  
"All right!" Buffy announced, "I've got some new information." And she flipped the glowing scythe up and around for emphasis. "Go get Faith and Giles," she said, pointing the scythe at a couple of the girls in the livingroom. "Tell them I'm back."  
  
"Buffy! You're home!" Xander said, coming in from the kitchen with Anya close behind. He wanted to run up to her and hug her, apologize for everything they'd said the last time they'd seen her. But the businesslike look on Buffy's face and the large shining weapon in her hand kept him from it.  
  
"Xander," Buffy said. "How many have you lost?" She didn't need to count to know that there were a lot less potentials than there were when she'd left.  
  
"More than we'd like," Xander admitted. "The First has been churning out an army of Uber-demons."  
  
"I know. He tried to capture me near the vineyard, but Spike saved me and we went to check out that mission that Giles sent him to. That's where I got this." She held up the scythe just as Giles and the principal appeared behind Xander.  
  
"Buffy, you're back," Giles said. There wasn't the same ring of joy in his voice that there had been in Xander's. It was more a statement of fact. Since he couldn't see any real happy ending to any of this, he couldn't move himself to be joyful about anything. "What's happened?"  
  
Faith appeared at the top of the stairs with Willow, Kennedy and Dawn close behind. "Buffy!" Faith called. She was the happiest of all to see the blond return. Now all the weight of the world wouldn't be on her anymore.  
  
From down the hall at the entryway to the kitchen, Angel finally appeared. He was subtle about his entrance, almost as if he were ashamed to be there. But there was no way he could hide.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy said, her face and voice full of surprise. Behind her Spike's face darkened.  
  
"Hi, Buffy," Angel said, moving forward a touch.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I asked him to come," Faith said, coming downstairs. "I needed his backup."  
  
Buffy nodded. It made sense. But she didn't need this added emotional distraction. Too much was happening . . . had happened. "Fine. Then you need to hear this too." Buffy gave them a shortened version of what had happened with the woman in the light, the scythe, and what it was supposed to do. "What's been happening here," she asked Faith. She still felt hurt that everyone had chosen Faith over her. But she was mindful of what the woman in the light had told her. All slayers were connected. She owed Faith respect, even if she hadn't always liked her. And for better or for worse, Faith had been the leader in her absence.  
  
"We've lost a lot of our people," Faith said. "I think most of Sunnydale is empty now except for us. And they've been sending armies of those super- vamps against us."  
  
"Well, this should help with that," Buffy said.  
  
"Later tonight Willow was going to try and use her magic to close the Hellmouth. Anya was going to help her. Angel and I were going to lead the way into the vineyard while they did their magic."  
  
"We should still do that," Buffy said. She was respecting Faith's role as the leader in her absence, but she was assuming command now. "Except that Spike and I will lead. It will give the scythe a chance to harvest a few heads as we go in. Faith and Angel can follow. Then Willow and Anya will do their thing. That will give us a three way battle with a couple of surprises."  
  
"I tried to call my crew in Los Angeles just before you got here," Angel said. "But there was no answer. Things are crazy there as well. By the time they start out, they probably won't be here before tomorrow."  
  
"Right," Giles said. "I suppose we should all try and get some sleep now. Spike, I believe you're down in the basement with the rest of us. Since you've been gone, it's sort of become the boy's dormitory. With the exception of Xander, that is." Giles shot the young man in question a look of disapproval.  
  
Spike started to move forward, but Buffy stopped him. "No. He's with me," she said.  
  
A silence descended over the group. Everyone got Buffy's meaning. It wasn't entirely unexpected considering how clear she'd been lately about his importance to her. But it was still a surprise to hear it announced.  
  
"We kind of gave away your room," Anya said sheepishly.  
  
"No, that's fine," Faith said. "They should have privacy. I'll move my things." And she quickly ran upstairs, eager to give up Buffy's room.  
  
At that, most of the other people standing there started to fade away, leaving only those closest to Buffy.  
  
"We're glad to have you back, Buff," Xander said, trying to make his voice sound more casual than it felt. Then he and Anya wandered off to the kitchen.  
  
"Buffy . . . I," Giles said. But he couldn't find the words. "Welcome back," was all he could come up with. They'd been so much at odds of late. They obviously needed to sit down for a very long talk. But now wasn't the time. So, he turned and walked back to the basement. The principal was already down there.  
  
Willow pursed her lips, trying to come up with the right words. In the end, she decided for action. She came down the stairs the rest of the way and hugged her friend as hard as she could. Then as she pulled away and kissed Buffy on the cheek. "Welcome back," she said with a little smile. Then she led Kennedy back upstairs to their room.  
  
Dawn came next. She took Buffy's hand and squeezed it. "I'm so sorry," she said.  
  
"I know," Buffy said. She gave her sister an embrace, holding the scythe out and away from herself. "It wasn't you. It was the First talking."  
  
"But still . . ."  
  
"We'll just pretend it didn't happen."  
  
"But it did. I just want you to know I'm sorry."  
  
"I know."  
  
Dawn turned and started back up the stairs, touching Spike's arm on the way, to let him know she hadn't forgotten about him. "Night, Spike," she said.  
  
"Night, 'Bit," Spike said.  
  
From the open hallway next to the stairs, Angel had been watching all this. It was good to see they were all trying to put the First's nonsense behind them. Although there would still have to be some healing of the angers it had uncovered.  
  
"I hope you don't mind my coming," Angel said, awkwardly. "I don't want to step on your toes here. But I couldn't turn Faith down."  
  
"I understand," Buffy said, pursing her lips. "You two have become close."  
  
"You and Spike too, it would seem." Angel shot a look at Spike. He wasn't sure yet how he felt about this whole thing between Buffy and Spike. He could tell by Spike's hooded expression that he wasn't happy to have Angel there. But for Buffy's sake Angel intended to keep things civil.  
  
"A lot of things have happened over the last year or so," Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah. With me too," Angel said. "But I'll catch you up on all that later. So, Spike . . . you got yourself a soul. Gotta hand it to you. Angelus would never have let me do that. And you and Buffy . . . well, I guess I should have guessed that too. Darla kind of hinted about it. She talked to Dru you see, and she said that you and Dru had broken up and she bet that I couldn't guess who you were in love with now. But I didn't pursue it."  
  
"Wait a minute," Buffy said, waving her free hand. "You talked to Darla? Isn't she dead?"  
  
Angel made a face. "Well . . . she came back . . . But she's dead again now. That's a part of the long story that I have to catch you on."  
  
"I can hardly wait."  
  
"I think it's better if you two get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."  
  
The sun was coming up in earnest by then. Buffy realized he was right. She nodded and moved off toward the stairs with Spike close behind.  
  
Angel wasn't sure what to do with himself. He really didn't want to go back downstairs to the basement and be stared at suspiciously by the other two men. The hallway was clear. He wondered if maybe he couldn't just sink down there and sleep by the stairs.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
By the time Buffy and Spike came into the bedroom Faith had gathered her things and straightened the bed.  
  
"It's all clear," Faith said. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed it."  
  
"No," Buffy said leaning against the door. "There was no reason to waste a whole bedroom when the rest of the house is so crowded."  
  
"It wasn't even my idea," Faith said. "The others kind of insisted."  
  
Buffy just nodded, not wanting to get into a discussion about her being voted out.  
  
"And I hope you don't mind me calling in Angel either," Faith said. "I know I always play self-sufficient. But I really needed someone here I knew I could trust."  
  
Buffy glanced at Spike. She knew exactly what Faith meant. When Buffy had talked to Angel downstairs she'd felt as if they were almost strangers. But there was very obviously a bond between him and Faith. That mind thing that Faith had talked about might be part of the reason. But they'd always had a bond. "I understand," Buffy said. And she did.  
  
Faith closed the door as she left and went downstairs, wondering where she was going to sleep. The diningroom maybe? There hadn't been a lot of potentials in there. The claw foot table somehow made it hard to spread out. Then she saw Angel, sitting with his back against the stairwell. "Hey. Mind if I join you?" she asked.  
  
"Sure, plenty of room," Angel said.  
  
"How ya doin'?" Faith asked. "About Buffy and Spike, I mean." After having spent some time in his mind she had a pretty good idea of the depth of his feelings for the other slayer . . . And for Cordelia, although she hadn't mentioned it.  
  
"It's a little weird. But it's all right. I don't know why I didn't see it. William the Bloody, scourge of the slayers! But for some reason he could never kill Buffy, no matter how much he ranted and raved about it. I kept expecting him to. Then when he didn't, I wondered why he was always hanging around Sunnydale. Why he didn't go off and look for excitement elsewhere."  
  
"They're really tight. You should see them fight together. They're a real team . . . Sort of like we were tonight."  
  
"Yeah, I guess we work pretty well together."  
  
"Damn straight."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Upstairs, Buffy had left the scythe leaning against the wall by the closet. Now she was rummaging around the room, putting her belongings in place just the way she was ordering things in her mind.  
  
Spike watched her at first, not wanting to interrupt. He'd been glad to hear her acknowledge him in front of everyone. But at the same time he wondered if maybe it was a bit of grandstanding to impress Angel. "Buffy? Luv? Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable with me going downstairs?"  
  
"What?" Buffy said. She had kicked off her shoes and was then putting them in the closet, busily arranging several other pairs around it.  
  
"I said . . . would you prefer me to go downstairs."  
  
"No," she said, getting up. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking." She crossed to him and slipped her arms around him under his duster. She snuggled into him, head resting her face against his chest.  
  
"What about?"  
  
"Last year. Was most of what happened because of the First? You and me treating each other the way we did? Xander and Anya's wedding falling apart? Willow and Tara? . . . Dawn's stealing?"  
  
"It might have been. A bit strange everything fell apart at once. It took big magic to bring you back from the dead. And magic's always got consequences."  
  
"I'm sorry . . . For all the times I hurt you."  
  
Spike swallowed. "I'm sorry I hurt you too."  
  
Buffy pulled away from his chest and looked into his eyes. "You know how much I depend on you, don't you? How much I need you?"  
  
"I need you too, pet," he said, fondling her hair, enjoying the play of light and shadow in her blond hair. "You know I love you."  
  
"I love you too," she said.  
  
A thousand emotions passed over Spike's face at once, as if he couldn't believe what she'd said.  
  
"Facing an apocalypse makes you think of the important stuff," Buffy said. "The important people."  
  
Spike tightened his arms around her and kissed her hard, as if trying to pull her into himself. With a sense of urgency he backed her toward the bed and they made love, coupling with an intensity they'd never shared before. Both knew this could be their last time together. Their last chance to be all they wanted to be to each other.  
  
Afterwards, Buffy didn't want to go to sleep. She wanted to hold onto this moment forever. But then her eye was caught by the scythe gleaming in a stray beam of sunlight from the closed curtains. It seemed to be saying that she could rest, that the slayers of the past would not let her down. And somehow, she fell asleep. 


	3. Chapter 3 Harvest

CHAPTER THREE - Harvest  
  
As soon as the sun started setting the group in Buffy's house started rising. They gathered in the kitchen and diningroom eating what some knew would be their last meal. Spike and Angel drank the last of Spike's blood stash.  
  
Buffy surveyed her tired army and prayed it would be enough. "Angel," she asked, "did you hear from your people in L.A. yet?"  
  
"Yes," Angel said, putting the cup he'd been drinking from behind his back, as if he were a bit ashamed of it.  
  
Spike on the other hand was standing brazenly next to Willow on the sink side of the island counter as he drank. Everyone knew he was a vampire. What was the point of hiding it?  
  
"Wes called me on my cell phone earlier," Angel continued. "He and Connor are on their way. But I don't think they'll be here till tomorrow." As soon as Angel had said the name Connor he flinched. He hadn't intended to tell Buffy about his son until later, at some hopefully better time.  
  
"We can use that extra muscle whenever we can get it," Faith said. She was hovering next to Angel. "B . . . wait till you see how much Wesley has changed. He's quite the hardened demon hunter now. And Connor . . . he's almost a male slayer."  
  
Willow shot Faith a warning look. She'd been hoping to avoid the topic of Connor at least till after the battle . . . If there was an after the battle.  
  
But Faith ignored Willow's warning look, as well as the pleading one Angel was giving her. She'd been looking to drop this proverbial bomb ever since she'd gotten there. Willow had talked to her on the drive there about putting off talk about Angel's personal life till after things quieted down. But now that Angel was there and Connor was on the way over . . . and what with the world maybe ending and all . . . now seemed like the perfect time to tell Buffy.  
  
"Almost a male slayer?" Buffy said. "We could sure use one of those. What is he? Some kind of demon?"  
  
"No," Faith said. "He's human with a soul and everything, but he has super- strength, which he inherited from his parents. They weren't human. At least not at the time he was born."  
  
"Faith . . ." Angel said.  
  
It was about to come out, Willow knew it. And Buffy was going to need some privacy in which to process the information. An excuse . . . Willow needed an excuse to get everyone out of the room . . . except for Buffy and Angel and Faith, of course. Oh, and Spike, this would ultimately effect him too. Giles and the principal were off in the diningroom. That was good. They probably would have insisted on staying. "I think I need to pick up some magic supplies in my room," Willow suddenly announced in a loud voice. "Kennedy . . . won't you help me?"  
  
Kennedy gave Willow a questioning look, but followed her as she started toward the livingroom.  
  
"And you all," Willow said scooping up the nearest potentials and thrusting them toward the livingroom. "You better start gathering your weapons. You too," Willow said, pushing Xander and Anya next. "Shouldn't wait till the last minute."  
  
"OK," Buffy said after most of the people in the room had been cleared out. "That was really weird. Is there something strange about this Connor I need to be warned about? Like maybe he's thirty feet tall and blue or something?"  
  
Spike shrugged his shoulders and continued to drink the rest of his breakfast. What did he care what kind of a demon this Connor was?  
  
"Buffy, I . . ." Angel stuttered.  
  
"Please don't stall. The end of the world is coming and I really don't want to be late."  
  
"Connor is my son."  
  
Spike suddenly started choking.  
  
"What?" Buffy said.  
  
"That's impossible!" Spike insisted.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Angel said. "Actually, that's what both Darla and I thought."  
  
"Darla?" Buffy said.  
  
"She was Connor's mother. She died giving birth to him."  
  
"Darla . . . a mother?" Spike snorted in derisive laughter.  
  
"But how?" Buffy asked. "I mean besides the obvious sex stuff that you and Darla must have had together. I thought Darla was dust. And vampires can't have children anyway."  
  
"I'll explain about Darla coming back later. But about Connor . . . At first we thought it had something to do with a prophecy. But that didn't pan out. Now we're thinking it's because of the soul. That maybe vampires with a soul can have children."  
  
Spike almost dropped his cup. "What?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Buffy," Angel said. "I didn't know it was possible. If I had . . ." He was apologizing because he'd left her partly because he couldn't give her children.  
  
But Buffy had already skipped past her relationship with Angel and had gone on to thinking about her present one with Spike. The two blonds looked at each other from across the room with wide eyes, realizing what this could mean for them.  
  
"Anyway," Angel continued. "Connor got kidnapped to another dimension and by the time we got him back he'd grown to late teenage." He exchanged looks with Faith. "That's the basic story. Except that he and I have a lot of issues."  
  
"There's actually a whole lot more to the story," Faith said.  
  
"But the rest can wait till later," Angel said quickly. "We should, um, probably get ready now." And he piloted Faith forcefully out of the kitchen. "That couldn't have waited till later?" he reprimanded the dark haired slayer.  
  
"No, it couldn't. Never said I was completely redeemed yet."  
  
Silence fell between Buffy and Spike for a moment. Then Spike wandered to his lover's side.  
  
"Well . . . there's something we never thought of," Spike said. "You and me could become parents."  
  
"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Buffy said.  
  
"Can't say I do either." Spike came up behind Buffy and put his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. "But maybe it's another reason for us to put an end to the apocalypse."  
  
"Maybe," Buffy said.  
  
Spike ran his hands down and around Buffy's stomach. He was thinking maybe that he liked the idea of Buffy carrying his child, of being a father.  
  
Buffy put her hands over his. It was something she hadn't thought of in a long time. Being both a slayer and a mother would be hard. She might die while her children were still young and leave them hurting and angry. But they'd still have Spike and maybe Dawn and Willow and Xander. And if Faith survived this battle tonight, maybe Buffy wouldn't have to bear all of the slayer burden alone anymore. It was a tempting thought.  
  
"What d'ya say, Buffy. You and me. We could found ourselves a whole dynasty of little slayers."  
  
"Not right now," Buffy said. "But maybe later. First we've got an apocalypse to stop."  
  
She turned around in his arms and snuggled into him. Then with a quick kiss, they broke apart and she led the way into the livingroom.  
  
"Everyone ready?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Just need my coat," Spike said.  
  
"I need a weapon," Andrew whined. He had been keeping watch at the house for the last couple of nights, but this time everyone was going out.  
  
"We've got an extra crossbow," Dawn said.  
  
"That's fine," Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, no!" Spike said. He was part way in the hall on his way upstairs. "You are not putting a cross bow into his hands. There's far too much likelihood that he'll misfire the thing and I'll find myself dusty."  
  
"We can only hope," the principal muttered under his breath. He was standing off in the corner with Giles on one side and Angel on the other. Giles didn't hear the aside and neither did Faith. But Angel with his acute vampire hearing had.  
  
"Fine," Buffy said. "Kennedy, give him your sword. You can take the cross bow."  
  
This seemed to appease Spike. He continued on his way upstairs as everyone else continued milling about getting ready. Giles left his spot next to the principal to help Willow double check that she had everything she needed.  
  
"You don't like my grandchilde much, huh?" Angel asked the principal. Faith had told him the night before about what had been happening recently between the principal, Giles, Spike, and Buffy. He could understand someone trying to track down and destroy the vampire who had killed his mother. But Angel didn't like the way the principal had lied to Buffy for six months about who he was. Then he had plotted behind her back to take out one of her most valuable fighters. Both he and Giles had showed a total lack of respect for Buffy and her position as the slayer. Maybe it had been the First's influence. But it didn't sit well with Angel. Buffy had given her all for her job and deserved their respect. And Spike . . . well, he'd done something pretty amazing by vampire standards in terms of getting a soul on his own. And Spike was, after all his grandchilde. Family was family.  
  
The principal looked at Angel with disdain. The vampire seemed to be laughing at him.  
  
"I don't blame you really," Angel said. "William has always been something of a wimp. A poet and a romantic . . . even after he was turned. He just never understood how really ruthless a vampire has to be sometimes." Angel smiled a very big wicked smile. "But I do."  
  
The principal didn't like Angel's hungry look or the fiendish sparkle in his eyes. The underlying threat wasn't subtle. Angel looked as if he were interested in showing him just how cruel and brutal a "real" vampire could be. Without a word, the principal crossed the room as far away from Angel as possible.  
  
"Now who's in need of a little redemption?" Faith asked.  
  
Angel looked at the smirk on the beautiful slayer's full lips. "I never said I was fully redeemed," he said. "Besides being redeemed doesn't mean you can't have a little fun now and then."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Buffy led the way toward the vineyard with the scythe glowing in her hands. Spike walked just behind her, with Faith and Angel just behind him. Willow and Anya followed behind in the center of the rest of their group.  
  
The Turok-han came out in full force to greet them and Buffy waded right in. The scythe clipped off their heads as if they were dandelions. The Uber-vamps weren't programmed for fear of any kind, so they just kept on coming, almost filing up to be slaughtered. Still, there was no way that Buffy could get all of them. There was a great army streaming around them. Spike, Angel, and Faith branched out to destroy as many as they could. But several more of the potentials were caught up and killed in the struggle. Still, they were able to protect Willow and Anya as they began their spell.  
  
Buffy moved forward into the vineyard with Spike right behind her. Faith and Angel stayed behind to fight the Uber-vamp swarm.  
  
As Buffy and Spike got closer to the new Hellmouth opening, the First appeared in the shape of Buffy. "So nice of you to visit me in my loneliness," it taunted. "But you're too late. Even if you close the Hellmouth now, my army will still visit untold destruction on your world. The mopping up process with be long and hard."  
  
"Where's Caleb?" Buffy demanded.  
  
Her evil twin smiled. "My ringbearer is out of the way. Find him if you can."  
  
A funnel of light appeared at their side and in the center was the woman who had given the scythe to Buffy. "The scythe can sense the ring," she said. "As you grow closer, it will give off a green light."  
  
"I should have killed you a lot earlier," the First growled.  
  
"It wouldn't have made any difference," the woman in the light said. "The scythe would still have been finished, by others if not by me. The slayer line cannot be beaten." And she disappeared.  
  
"You still have to get through my armies," the First said, swinging its Buffy-ish hair confidently. "Every moment another battalion comes out of the Hellmouth. You can't possibly stop them all."  
  
"There's nothing to do but slice our way forward," Buffy said.  
  
And so they did. Uber-vamp heads flew this way and that, followed by sprays of dust. Buffy choked and wished she'd worn a pair of goggles. Spike kept the horde from coming at her back. They pushed straight ahead until the scythe started to glow a faint green. But as they went a bit further the gleam returned to gold. This was the tricky part. They had been going directly into the gang of Uber-vamps, following them to the place where the Hellmouth was opening. But evidently that was not where Caleb was waiting.  
  
Buffy doubled back to the place where the scythe had first shown green. She moved left a bit and it went gold again. So, they went right. The closer they got to Caleb, the brighter the green light emanating from the scythe became. They found him in an open part of the vineyard. Spike started at him first, the plan being to distract him so that Buffy could get a clear shot at his ring hand. But for the most part, Spike only succeeded in getting himself thrown around. Buffy was occupied with harvesting the heads of the Turok-han that were still coming steadily towards them. Caleb stood back and laughed, enjoying the fun of trouncing the slayer, even as she stood with the all-powerful scythe in hand.  
  
He stopped laughing, however, as Willow's spell began to take effect.  
  
All this time Willow and Anya had been preparing for their spell. As they reached the end of the incantation, Willow's eyes started to blacken and her arms rose in the direction of the Uber-vamps that were pressing down on them from all sides. An electric charge flew from her to the vamps. It stopped them in their tracks and they began swaying and vibrating. Fingers of green reached from them into the sky and into the ground at their feet.  
  
"It's working!" Anya called out. Or at least she thought it was.  
  
The Hellmouth where the Turok-han had been storming out did indeed begin to close. But that was just the beginning. With the magic of the ring still in Caleb's hands, there was still instability in the walls between the worlds. While one part of the Hellmouth closed, another part opened . . . right near where the Scoobies were fighting. As it opened, it created a vacuum, which picked up several of their members and pulled them inside, including Dawn and Xander.  
  
"No! NO!" Anya screamed. "You've got to bring them back!"  
  
Willow's eyes turned to Anya and she smiled.  
  
Anya was terrified. It looked as if evil Willow had returned. Anya tried to pull away from the vortex of magic that existed between her and the witch, but she couldn't.  
  
"We need to widen it," Willow said. "Bigger!" she shouted to the sky. And the ground shook. A crack appeared and advanced down the vineyard into the area where Caleb was fighting with Buffy and Spike.  
  
Willow snapped her arms apart and the gulf between the worlds snapped open wider, pulling several monster vamps and Spike into it.  
  
"Spike!" Buffy yelled. But she didn't have time to mourn.  
  
Willow reached out in front of her with her right hand and made a fist as she brought her left close to her body and flattened it out forward. "Bring mine to me and return those that belong!" she commanded. And she pulled in with her right hand and pushed out with her left. Immediately the Turok-han were pushed into the opening of the Hellmouth as her friends were pulled out.  
  
Xander and Dawn found themselves on the ground where they'd first started a few moments before. Spike was lying at Caleb's feet. All of the Turok-han were gone. Unfortunately, since Willow didn't have a great army of super- demons to draw energy from any longer, her control over the situation quickly vanished and her eyes returned to normal.  
  
But Caleb and the First were now completely caught off guard. Spike grabbed Caleb's leg and sent him to the ground. Buffy used the opening to raise the scythe and bring it down on the hand where Caleb wore the ring. As the member fell away, the ring came loose and fell to the ground separately.  
  
Caleb grabbed for his injured arm, crying out in pain. But Buffy took no notice. She took up the ring and put it on her finger.  
  
Over her shoulder Buffy heard the voice of the woman from the light. "Now drive the scythe into the ground!" she commanded.  
  
Buffy did as she was told, sending the blade of the deep into the ground. The earth shook and the sky above it rocked with thunder as the tear between the dimensions began to close and the walls became strong again. A few of the Turok-han had been trying to cross back through the rift, but they were caught in-between and crumbled into to dust as they were cut apart.  
  
The First stood there angrily with hands on hips, facing down her look- alike. "Kill her!" it commanded.  
  
Caleb, brave little psycho that he was, pulled out a knife and started to lunge at Buffy. But since he had lost his super-powers when he lost the ring, Spike easily tackled him to the ground and finished him off.  
  
The funnel of light returned and the lady who had given Buffy the scythe appeared once again in its center. "There's but one more thing to do," she said.  
  
Buffy knew what it was instinctively. She let the blade of the scythe fly up and through the figure of the First. It evaporated, still with a scowl on its face.  
  
"It's a strange feeling, killing yourself," Buffy observed.  
  
"You didn't kill the First," the lady in the light said. "You only returned him to the dimension where he belongs. He still exists."  
  
"Yeah, well, he better not show his skanky self around here again. What a nerve he had, impersonating me!" Buffy looked to the woman in the light. "What do I do with these now," she asked, meaning the ring and the scythe.  
  
"You keep them and pass them on through the slayer line. And if you need me, I will come again." And with that, she disappeared once more.  
  
"I could really use a shower," Buffy said. "I should have taken one in the hotel when I had the chance."  
  
"'Fraid there'll be a long line waiting for the bathroom when we get home, Luv." He put his arm around her and they started off in the direction where they knew their friends would be waiting. "Course, I could give you a massage to help loosen up some of those tight muscles . . . A nice intimate massage," he said, letting his voice trail off suggestively.  
  
"Mmmm," Buffy said, leaning into him and letting her hand wander over his the body under his duster. "I could go for that. But first some food. I didn't get any breakfast."  
  
"Fine," Spike said. "First food . . . then fun."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
In the field outside of the vineyard, Buffy's friends were pulling themselves together. Giles and Faith were attending to the surviving potentials. Dawn was looking for Buffy and Spike. Xander and Anya had already started back to the house, with the principal loping behind. Angel was standing off apart from them by a gutted store, wondering what to do next.  
  
As Angel considered, a funnel of light grew up beside him. He immediately knew who it was from Buffy's description. "You're the one who gave Buffy the scythe, right?" he asked her.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then I take it they're all right and the Hellmouth was closed?"  
  
"Yes, it was."  
  
"Then why are you still sticking around?"  
  
"To talk to you. What would you say if I told you that I had the power to grant your dearest wish? . . . To make you human again?"  
  
Angel considered, looking off in the direction of the vineyard. Buffy and Spike had just come into view. Dawn immediately enveloped her sister in a bear hug. Spike stood by with an immense smile on his face that got even bigger when Dawn hugged him as well.  
  
"Are you thinking that you could win her back if you were human once more?" the lady in the light asked.  
  
"No. We've both moved on. What Buffy and I had was . . . wonderful. But it belongs to another time."  
  
"And what would you say if I told you that the prophecy about your becoming human involved another apocalypse . . . with another slayer?"  
  
Angel looked at her questioningly. Then he realized. Turning back to the group still at the edge of the vineyard, he saw Faith. She was standing and watching him, concern written across her face as to what the lady in the light might want with him. "You mean Faith?" he asked.  
  
"You two do have quite a bit in common. And there are still many wars to be fought. There's a reason why Angelus sought out her mind in particular to open himself too. The darkness in some creatures is often attracted to the lightness in others and vice versa."  
  
Angel's eyes traveled to Buffy and Spike, now walking toward home with Dawn. "Yes, I'm beginning to see that." He turned back to look at the woman in the light. But she had already gone, leaving him to his thoughts.  
  
"What was that all about," Faith asked, coming up to him.  
  
"She was just telling me that were other battles to be fought and always another apocalypse."  
  
"I think we could have told her that," Faith said. She put her hands on her hips. "So. Are you coming back with us or not?"  
  
"Maybe for a bit," he said. "I was going to ask if you would come back to Los Angeles with me."  
  
Faith's luminous brown eyes got brighter. "You want me to?"  
  
"Yeah. Things have been kind of wild over there, as you know. I could use your help."  
  
Faith shifted her shoulders back and forth. "Maybe."  
  
"Good," Angel said, hooking his arm around her and guiding her in the direction of Buffy's house. "You and I could have a beautiful friendship, you know. But first . . . I need you to keep an eye on things for me for a while. I have to go out of town for a couple of weeks."  
  
"Where to?" she asked.  
  
"Africa."  
  
-- The End -- 


End file.
